When you think of toxic talk, you probably think of something along the lines of gossip, but the truth is that there’s a much more concrete concern and it’s probably sitting on your desk or in your purse/pocket right now. Cell phones are everywhere we look and most of us cycle through them like they’re going out of style (which, to be fair, they seem to be every few months). Our biggest concern is often getting a good price on the latest and greatest model or renegotiating tricky contracts to finagle a new phone after the old one disappears one day in a taxi.

What we’re rarely thinking about is what’s going to happen with all our old phones after we upgrade. Cell phones contain toxic elements that are at their most harmful during production and  destruction. When you toss an old cell phone in the trash it finds its way to a landfill, where it can leach toxins and lead into the ground and, ultimately, your water. When you factor in an average of 426,000 cell phones decommissioned every day, you get an idea of how big a potential problem we’re looking at.

Enter Zendoo, a company whose mission is equal parts save the earth and save you money. Zendoo offers a vast range of used cell phones (including Blackberrys and iPhones) for every carrier in just about any price range. By purchasing one of their used phones, you not only save cash, but you’re keeping a new cell phone from entering service and an old one out of the landfill. Zendoo is a company that at its very core is about recycling, but that doesn’t meant they’re not about convenience. If you’ve lost or broken a phone mid-contract, you know how pricey a replacement can be, and if you need short-term cell phone service and don’t want to sign a long contract, you know that the phone prices in store will skyrocket. Zendoo is a way to sidestep the costs (and help save the earth).

If you’ve got some old cell phones sitting around–or will once you upgrade to a new Zendoo phone– Zendoo also links to a service where you can send in your old phone for cash or as a charitable donation.

Powered by Bookmarkify™